Floristic Diversity of Trees in the Cities of Abomey and Bohicon in the Co-urbanization Zones of the Republic of Benin Floristic Diversity

Abstract

Urban trees have a significant influence on the local climate by cooling it to provide a good life for the population, but today demographic pressure is contributing to its enormous destruction, which requires the carrying out of certain activities for the conservation of urban biodiversity. The main objective of this study is to determine the floristic diversity of vegetated spaces which are in the towns of Abomey and Bohicon in the Republic of Benin. Data was collected for public square trees, private trees and street plantings with a height of at least 1.30 m and a trunk diameter of 10 cm or more DBH (Diameter at Breast Height). A mobile survey method was used and the data was georeferenced using the Global Positioning System (GPS). The collected data was analyzed using MS Excel. Various species characterize the urban vegetation of the cities of Abomey and Bohicon. The floristic study carried out in these two cities reveals a specific richness of 51 species divided into 43 genera and 28 families. The city of Abomey alone has 49 species divided into 41 genera and 25 families, while that of Bohicon has 45 species divided into 37 genera and 23 families. The Shannon diversity index is 3.22 bits for Abomey and 2.61 bits for Bohicon, with a Jaccard similarity index (JI) of 84%. Overall, diversity is low in both cities and there is complete interdependence between these plant communities. The urbanization of these cities is therefore detrimental to local biodiversity, with the disappearance of natural forests. It is therefore essential to properly maintain public and private green spaces. This action can effectively contribute to solving the many ecological problems that our cities and their inhabitants face.